Granite
by L. Drayton
Summary: The title has nothing to do with the story. Merlin gets ill. What happens next? A bit of Merther but NOT ROMANCE WISE! T because I wanna be safe. Just to get me back into writing! DISCONTINUED.
1. The Fall Of A Warlock

I don't own anything yada yada yada.

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><p>The sun shone through the small window in Merlin's room, causing a patch of sunlight to shine down on Merlin's face, warming his cheek. He grunted and slid out of bed, much to his annoyance. A clear line of pain shot through his head and he had to clench his teeth to stop himself crying out. He slid on his shirt and trousers and hoped down the steps to the main room.<p>

"Good morning, Merlin," Gaius said, not raising his eyes from the draught he was preparing.

"Morning."

"You don't seam too chirpy this morning," Gaius commented. He turned around to look Merlin up and down.

"Uh."

"What's the matter?"

"My head."

"What's the matter with it?" Gaius seamed interested.

"What does it matter? I'm off." Merlin sleepily made his way to the door.

"Merlin." Merlin turned. "Come here a second, you don't look too good." Merlin walked over to Gaius and Gaius placed his hand on his forehead. "Hhmm. No, no, no. You certainly are not well. You shouldn't go anywhere today, Merlin. It won't do you any good."

"I'm fine." Merlin lied.

"I still do not approve of this."

"I'll be fine, Gaius. Bye." Merlin set off once more. He slammed the door behind him.

"I do hope so, Merlin." Gaius muttered to himself.

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><p>"MERLIN!" Merlin could hear Arthur's angry voice halfway down the hall. He turned his steady walk into a run, which did not help his head. The pain in his head had streached down to his neck in the short space of about ten minutes and it was not comfortable for him and he found himself wondering if there was something wrong with him.<p>

Merlin threw open the door to see Arthur fully dressed with his back to the door.

"Finally!" Arthur said angrily. He still had his back to Merlin and was fiddling with his sword.

"Sire." Arthur spun around with an angry expression on his face. When he saw Merlin, his expression immediatley softened.

"Merlin, are you feeling alright?" Merlin was utterly shocked. He didn't look that bad did he?

"Yes, Sire."

"Liar." Merlin didn't know what to say. He just took up Arthur's laundry and began to walk out. Arthur's eyes followed him all the way around the room.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Your going alot slower than usual. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Sire." Merlin excited the room. Once he was back in the hallway, he placed one hand against a wall to steady himself. The whole time he was in Arthur's room, he felt awful. Now he was out of sight of Arthur, he stood still so that the room would stop spinning. He stood there for a good five minutes and then he decided that he would have to move on, light-headed or not.

He stumbled down the hallway. He hadn't gone far when he bumped into Gwen. He had dropped the laundry and was leaning against the wall when she saw him.

"Merlin, are you okay?" She asked kindly. He nodded, not wanting to interupt her duties. He jestured with his hand for her to walk past. She didn't. She approached him and picked up Arthur's laundry and added it to her own pile.

"You don't look good at all. You should get some rest. I'll take care of the laundry." She was being so kind, but Merlin couldn't possibly let her take over his duties. He shook his head and took the laundry back. He tryed to put on a brave face and stagger on, but the pain had now stretched to his lungs and making it harder for him to breathe, speak, walk. He wondered what kind of illness spread through the body so quickly.

"Merlin, take it easy. You really look bad." She called to him as he walked slowly away. She stood there watching him, scared he was going to collapse any minute. He was fine last night, though. It was strange how he had suddenly become this ill. He turned the corner and Gwen went to do her duties. She didn't know it, but she had just become the third person with serious worries about Merlin.

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><p>Merlin was finding it harder and harder to do things throughout the day. Every step made his body hurt. Every breathe pinched his throat. His neck and legs ached. Overall, Merlin came to the conclusion that he was indeed ill. Coming down with a fever or something. But one thing kept bothering him. He found himself stopping every five minutes to lean against a wall and regain his balance so he didn't stumble over from light-headedness. He was touched by everyone's concern, especially Arthur's. Every time Merlin saw Arthur, Arthur became more and more concerned. He'd even begged Merlin to go to bed. In the end they struck a deal. Merlin did not want to resign from his duties. That would mean that someone else would have to take over, and he couldn't bear that burden. He didn't want someone else working where he should, it wasn't fair on the substitute. Arthur wanted Merlin to take a break, he was scared that the boy would over work himself and collapse. So he decided to make a deal with Merlin.<p>

"Fine," he said, "I'll go everywhere with you untill tonight. I can make sure you don't over work yourself and then tomorrow you will take the day off if you have not improved when I drop you off at your room." Merlin shook his head and mumbled something about Arthur and his duty to Camelot. "I have nothing to do today so stop complaining or I'll take you to Gaius now." Merlin looked down at the floor and nodded.

Merlin walked out of the room to get Arthur's dinner and Arthur followed. Merlin was not happy about having Arthur tag around with him, it meant he couldn't stop so often for fear of looking weak infront of his master. Merlin didn't know that all the effort he was taking not to stop and take a break, was not for the better untill he collapsed onto the floor on the stairs.

"Merlin!" Arthur called, kneeling down next to him. Merlin felt a hot liquid running down his neck and a searing pain in his head. His throat was dry and he felt utterly awful. Arthur placed his hand on Merlin's forehead. Merlin was scared of what was happening to him. He was nervous. He trusted Arthur nd Gaius but... everything seamed so hopeless. He felt so weak as the darkness beckoned and he completely lost consciousness,


	2. The Author's Request

**Due to popular demand, I'm going to be writing another chapter to this fic. I can't do it though, until someone tells me if they want Merlin alive, or dead. Think about it and tell me in a review or PM. I will not publish until I get at least 3 ideas. Thank you!**

**Olivia**

**xxxxx**

**Okay, so most people voted for alive, that's the ovvious choice. I hope I please you all. ****WARNING: I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG THIS IS GOING TO BE! ****What I mean is, it was intended as a one-shot, but look what's happening now! **

**Olivia**

**xxxxx**


	3. The Light Of The Stars

Merlin awoke feeling groggy and confused as to where he was and why he was there. He only felt pain and a strange feeling of disappointment. He remembered having a discussion with Arthur about his health. Arthur had seamed to think that Merlin needed to be taken to Gaius' to rest, and Merlin had disagreed, in the end, the two had reached a deal that Arthur would accompany Merlin and then take him to Gaius' when he had finished his chores. If Merlin looked worse whn Arthur dropped him off, he ould have the next day off of work. Merlin now felt a huge disappointment at the fact that Arthur had been right, Merlin was unwell and needed the day off.

As Merlin slowly opened his eyes he noticed two fuzzy blobs that resembled people sitting in two more fuzzy blobs that resembled chairs. The whole room was full of fuzzy blobs that resembled things Merlin knew well, and he soon worked out that he was in his room. The room came into focus and he recognised the two people as Arthur and Gwen. They had both fallen asleep in their chairs, and it looked like Gaius had popped in to wrap a blanket round them. Merlin smiled.

The window in Merlin's room was not letting in any light, only the white light of the stars. Merlin assumed that it was a moonless night, but the stars still looked beautiful to him. The warlock looked at everything in the room in great detail, noticing many things that he han't before, desperatley trying to fight off sleep.

The servant slid his hand out from underneath histhin blanket and gingerly touched the backof his head. He shivered at the feeling off stitches and then almost cried out as he realised how far the stitches went up his head. It must have been a tremendous wound.

Merlin tried so hard to distract himself from the pain, but he found that in the end, he couldn't. White spots danced on the floor of his room, the light from the stars. Merlin heard reasuring breathing coming from his master and his lady, Merlin heard and saw many things, but he only ffelt the pain, and the warm, fresh tears that kept running down his face.

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><p>Arthur woke with a start as soon as he heard a floorboard creak next to him. He stood up and drew his sword, and stood protectively over Merlin. He sighed and sheathed his sword when he saw Gaius with his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Ah, Gaius. Um... I-err... I apologize for... well-"<p>

"No need, Arthur. You're instincs are very highly developed, I should've expected nearly being slaughtered." Gaius smiled.

"Thanks... what're you doing?" Arthur sat back in the chair he'd just jumped up from. He heard soft footsteps from the other side of the doorand assumed that Gwen was out there, doing something useful.

"I was going to wake Merlin, see what he could remember, and then send him back to sleep again."

"Could I talk to him?"

"I don't see why not. I'll find out what I need to know, give him the sleeping draft, then you can talk to him."

"I wont have long then?"

"No. But I don't want to exhaust him, and I'll give him a draft that takes a while to work."

"Alright. I understand."

Gaius moved over to the sleeping form of his ward, and gently shook him. Merlin didn't wake. He shook him again, Merlin still didn't awaken. Arthur tried, and Merlin groaned but did not wake. Arthur shook his head.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Arthur asked.

"I was hoping he wouldn't be like this." Gaius stood from the bed. Arthur looked up at him.

"Like what?"

"This." Gaius obviously didn't want to explain, and if Gaiius didn't want to explain, Arthur didn't want to know. The old man rushed out ofthe room, muttered something to Gwen, grrabbed a bottle and rushed back into the room.

"Gaius, what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, he's just... well, he's not really sleeep, but he's not really unconcious either. He's somewhere in the middle. Which can potentially, make waking himuo ever more difficult. I keep a potion for these tpe of cases, however. It might take a fewhours for him to wake, though. One of us should stay next to him to be sure that when he wakes he is comfortable and to be able to get the information I needed."

"I'll stay with him. I was planning on that anyway."

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><p><strong><em>Hope that this was as good as the first chapter. (: Need help with plot. (As always.)<em>**


	4. The Blindness Of Paper

"So let me get this straight. You want me to let you know if Merlin's awake, as long as he's not going to fall asleep?" Arthur asked with his arms crossed over him chest, standing infront of the door to Merlin's room.

"Yes. No, well, sort of- No, forget that-"

"Gaius! Yes or no?"

"Yes. But if he's not showing any signs of being tired?"

"I... call you?"

"Yes. And what do you say to Merlin if he's too tired to talk to me?"

"I ask him first what he remembers... then if he's not going to sleep, I give him this," Arthur held up a small bottle, "and then I can talk to him about whatever I please for a short amount of time before he falls asleep."

"Excatly. Well done, Arthur. It took a while, but you finally know what to do." Arthur didn't really understand that comment, so he just nodded. "Are you ready? Oh, no wait, I forgot something."

"What?" Gaius reached behind him and took a bundle of herbs from his bench. He handed them to Arthur.

"Put these on his pillow. You'll have a few hours until the smell wakes him up."

"Alright."

Arthur dissapeared behind the old wooden door and Gaius returned to his work, begging the Gods that this ordeal would be over soon.

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><p>"Um... Merlin. I... er... I need to put these on your pillow. They aren't flowers, if that's what you're thinking. They have a wierd effect on people in a state like you are now, apparently they're one of the only things that can wake you up. Look at me, rambling infront of you. It's not like I'm nevous or worried or anything, just so you know that." Arthur sighed and sat down on a chair next to Merlin, being careful to place the herbs on Merlin's pillow. He felt really tired, so he made a plan. He wrote a note and put it on Merlin's forehead (he was sure to notice it there). It said:<p>

Merlin,

Wake me up when you wake up.

Arthur.

It was short but got the point he wanted to make across. Arthur then relaxed into the chair and swiftly fell asleep.

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><p>Merlin woke up very slowly. He opened his eyes and suddenly panicked. He'd gone blind! He sat up quickly, and then realised hecould see again. A piece of paper fell onto the ground. The ill servant ignored the pain and fatigue and tried to reach for it, but gave up in the end and collapsed into his bed. It was then that he noticed his master, asleep in the chair nextto his bed. Merlin saw an opening and decided to take it. "Arthur." Merlin felt utterly shattered and just wanted to read the note and go back to sleep.<p>

No response from Arthur.

"Arthur!" Merlin whispered

Still no response.

"Wake up!" Merlin hissed as loudly as he could.

Still no response.

"Rise and shine."

Arthur grunted and cracked open his eyes."Shut up, Merlin."

"Arthur, I need you to get something for me." Merlin said, tiredly and quietly. Arthur seamed to remember the situation and he sat up.

"What? What d'you want me to do?"

"Could you get a piece of paper for me?" Arthur smiled. "Wha'?"

"Don't worry about that, Merlin. It was a note from me. Now, are you tired?"

"Yes." Merlin snuggled into his blanket and his pillow, thwaking the herbs which he had only just noticed off of his pillow and onto the floor. Arthur sighed. He shook Merlin lightly and Merlin groaned and turned over.

"How much do you remember?"

"Wha...?" Merlin asked, his speech slurred.

"What do you remember, I mean, how far back do you remember?"

"I...'member ev'yfing..."

"Do you remember the morning when you first started feeling unwell?"

"Yes... go 'way."

"I can't until you tell me how you felt."

"Awful."

"Headache?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"... No."

"Are you sure? Just a headache?"

"Well... there... was..." Merlin's eyelids began to droop.

"There was what, Merlin? What else was there?" The eyelids closed. "Great." Arthur strode out of the room to report his findings to Gaius, angry that he didn't get all the information out of Merlin, but also relieved that it was now obvious to him that Merlin still had a chance of survival, he'd just had a conversation with him.


End file.
